Spain's Catalonia region to hold early elections on Nov 25

MADRID, Sept 25

MADRID, Sept 25 Spain's Catalonia region will
hold early elections on November 25, regional president Artur
Mas announced on Tuesday.

Catalonia generates one fifth of the Spanish economy but is
also the most indebted Spanish region. Mas's call for greater
tax autonomy was rejected last week by Prime Minister Mariano
Rajoy, prompting the regional leader to call the early vote in a
speech to the Catalan parliament in Barcelona.

Mas's conservative Convergence and Union (CiU) party would
likely win an absolute majority in elections, strengthening his
mandate to press on towards independence and delivering a blow
to Rajoy who has called for national unity to counter the
country's debt crisis.